Grace Church

God’s Faithfulness through Every Twist and Turn.  Act one: Promise.  Act two: Kingdom.  Act three: Exile and beyond.   Big Idea: God always keeps his covenant promises.   Meeting Mary  How God Keeps His Promises.    God Keeps His Promises Through Unexpected People.  God’s promises require costly surrender God's Promises Always Point to Jesus.   Next Steps:  Pray Mary's prayer: "Let it be to me according to your word."  Think of one person in your life who needs to hear that nothing is impossible with God. Send them a text today. Just say, "Come with me to Christmas at the Warner."  For more series resources visit whoisgrace.com/read  

Big Idea: Jesus came FROM the very people he came FOR.  3 Truths from Jesus’ Messy Family Tree 1. Your Mess Doesn’t Disqualify You.  Tamar the Forsaken.  Rahab the Fearful.  Ruth the Foreigner.  Bathsheba the Fallen.   The Common Thread: your mess doesn't disqualify you.   2. God draws straight lines with crooked sticks.  3. Your worst moment isn’t your last chapter.    Next Step:  Stop pretending and bring your brokenness to the table this Christmas.  Pray about who God wants you to invite to Christmas at the Warner and then extend an invitation.  Find more series resources at whoisgrace.com/read  

Big Idea: The Feast of the Father is an echo of God’s endgame.The Story We’re All Living In.Creation | Fall | Redemption | Mission | RestorationThe Feast is the Destination.The Feast points us to Joy.Both Brothers at the Feast.What should a seat at the Father’s table do to us?A New Communion“Let the kingdom feast begin right now!”For more series information, visit whoisgrace.com/read

Review: The Story So Far   What it Means to Walk in the Way of Grace.  Understand that your homecoming was free to you but cost someone everything Admit you need someone to come for you. Trust that the perfect grace-giver has made a way for you to come home.  Next Step: Come Home For more series resources visit whoisgrace.com/read  

2 things an honorable Middle-Eastern dad would never do:  Run in public.  Cancel the Shunning Ceremony.   Act II. The Older Brother’s Response   4 Indicators You’re Religious but May not Know Jesus. You get furious when life doesn't go as planned (:28)  Your obedience is mechanical and joyless. (:29)  You feel superior to people who sin differently than you. (:30) You have no assurance of the father’s love. (:29)   2 Challenges to Older Brothers You need a new kind of repentance.  You need a new level of rejoicing.   Next Step:  This week, stop and honestly answer this question: What's keeping me outside?  Name it. Confess it to God.   For more series resources visit whoisgrace.com/read  

3 universal longings that point us back to God.  Longing for love. Longing for identity.  Longing for purpose.  Idolatry = wanting the father’s things more than the father himself.  2 Decisions that Have Eternal Consequences.  1. The decision to RUN from the father. (15:13-16) Eventually sin will cost you everything. When you break your attachment with God, you end up attached to something else,  Where will you go to satisfy your God-given longings?  2. The decision to RETURN home. (15:17-20) Take an honest assessment of your mess.  Admit your sin.   Next Step:   Get honest about what you’ve been chasing other than God. When you're tempted to go back to it pray a simple prayer: "God, I don't want this anymore. I want You. Help me come home."   Find more series resources at whoisgrace.com/read  

Setting the Scene: 2 Groups of People (15:1-3)  “tax collectors and sinners”   “Pharisees and the scribes”   Three Categories Jesus Upends (15:4-10) 1. He upends our understanding of sin.  Like sheep, we need to be rescued.  Like sheep, we don’t need to be pointed home we need to be carried home.  2. He upends our understanding of God.  3. He upends our understanding of his kingdom to come.  What is repentance?  Confession  Contrition  Change   Next Step: Respond to God’s love  For more series resources visit whoisgrace.com/read  

3 Invitations Hidden in Luke 15   Invitation #1: You are invited to receive God’s Love.   Invitation #2: You are invited into a bigger story.   Creation | Fall | Redemption | Mission | Restoration CREATION answers questions of WORTH FALL answers questions of BROKENNESS  REDEMPTION answers questions of RESCUE  MISSION answers questions of PURPOSE RESTORATION answers questions of HOPE  Invitation #3: You are invited to make a choice about the God of the Bible.   Big Idea: God's reckless grace is your only hope.   Next Steps:  1. Come back for the series.  2. Bring someone with you.   Text a friend: "I've been thinking about you and wanted you to know you matter to me. And I think you matter to God too. Do you want to come to church with me on Sunday."   For more series resources visit whoisgrace.com/read  

Big Idea: Prayer and Praise fuel Hope. How to pray and praise when the circumstances don’t change:1-     Remember God’s Faithfulness (Habakkuk 3:2-15; Job 42:1-6)Selah = a musical or liturgical notes that indicates a pause 2-     Be Honest (Habakkuk 3:16-19) 3-     Trust God’s Whole Story (Habakkuk 3:1-19; Genesis 3:15; Revelation 22:12-13)Habakkuk reminds us that to be saved doesn’t mean we’re rescued out of the brokenness of the world. Rather, we’re rescued from the hopelessness of that brokenness.   Next Step: Practice honest prayer and praise:Are you in a Habakkuk 1:2 moment? Get on your knees.Are you in a Habakkuk 2:1 moment?  Open your hands and lift your eyes.Are you in a Habakkuk 3:17-18 moment? Stand and raise your hands.

How to posture your mind and heart when you’re facing evil times.  1. Clarity for the Mind: Evil is unleashed through pride and idolatry. (2:5, 16 & 18-19).  The 5 Woes: God's Detailed Indictment (2:6-19)  Woe #1: Predatory Wealth (2:6-8)  Woe #2: Building Security from Corrupt Scheming (2:9-11)  Woe #3: Bloodshed and City-Building by Violence (2:12-13)  Woe #4: Debauchery and Humiliating the Vulnerable (2:15-17) Woe #5: Trusting in Idols (2:18-19)  2. Anchor for the Heart: God is still sovereign over every evil (2:14, 20).   Divine Justice is Coming, just not Yet. (2:20)  

Big Idea: Don’t give up on God.  3 Lessons on Not Giving Up on God: Reflect Honestly (Habakkuk 1:12-17) Wait Confidently (Habakkuk 2:1-3; Isaiah 40:31) Live Obediently (Habakkuk 2:4-5; Romans 3:10-12, 7:24-25)  Don’t give up on God. “Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:33b NLT)  “I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20)  Next Step: Practice honest prayer (Habakkuk 1:12). 

Literary structure.  Chapter 1: Two complaints from Habakkuk and God's responses. Chapter 2: God's final answer and five pronouncements against injustice.  Chapter 3: Habakkuk's psalm of faith and worship.  3 Ways to Navigate the Silence of God Bring your honest questions to God without reservation (1:1-4)  Expect that God's answers might surprise you (1:5-6)  Trust God's sovereignty even over what seems evil (1:7-11)  Next Step: Practice honest praying.   Start with phrases like:  "God, I'm really struggling with..."  "I don't understand why..."  "I'm angry that..."  For more series resources go to whoisgrace.com/read  

The Myth of More =your happiness, your contentment, your influence is always tied to more  Big Idea: Contentment isn't settling, it’s recognizing what actually satisfies.   3 Ways to Recognize What Actually Satisfies Reject accumulation’s false promise of gain (:9, 17).   Embrace true wealth by learning contentment (:6-8)   Redirect your accumulation energy toward eternal investments (:9-10, 17)   Next Step: Identity Reset  Replace the lie: "I am what I own" with the truth: "I am content in Christ"   Complete this sentence: "Even if I never acquire another _______ again, I am still completely content and satisfied in Christ because _________."  For more series resources please visit whoisgrace.com/read  

Big Idea: You are not what you know; you are known by the One who knows all things.   Modern Traps of Knowledge that Puff us Up Information Overconsumption - we confuse consuming data with acquiring wisdom.  Credential Collecting - achievements become trophies rather than tools for service.  Platform Building - expertise becomes about establishing authority rather than serving others.  Comparison Culture - knowledge becomes competitive rather than collaborative.   3 Shifts from Know-it-All to Known-by-God  Find great relief in your true identity Acquire Knowledge and Wisdom at the Same Pace  Apply the "Love Test" to Your Expertise   Next Step Identity Reset: Replace the lie "I am what I know" with the truth "I am known by God"   Complete this sentence:  "Even if I never learned another thing about _______, I am still fully known and loved by God because...__________"   For more series information visit whoisgrace.com/read 

Lie #1: You are what you do: the lie of productivity.  Lie #2: You are who you know: the lie of social capital.   Big Idea: When you live for human approval, you become enslaved to human opinion. Slavery to Approval or Security in Christ? 4 Questions to Diagnose your Heart The question of PERFORMANCE: “Who am I trying to impress?”  The question of WORTH: “Where do I find my value?” The question of TRUTH TELLING: “What am I afraid to say?”  The question of SECURITY “What am I afraid to lose?”  The Gospel Solution: Ground your identity so deeply in God's approval that you're free to serve people without needing their validation.   Next Step = Identity Reset:  Replace the lie "I am who I know" with the truth "I am approved by God"  Complete this sentence: "Even if I never gained another follower/ connection/ endorsement from _____, I am still fully approved and loved by God because ______" For more series information visit whoisgrace.com/read  

BIG IDEA: God calls you beloved before you ever clock inIdentity statement that counters the lie of productivity. 1. In God’s Economy: You’re Embraced by a Father, Not Interviewed by a Boss2. In God’s Economy: Your Value is Given, Not Proven3. In God’s Economy: You Work From Love, Not For ItNEXT STEPS TODAYCommit to these next 4 weeks. Complete this Identity Reset statement:“Even if I never succeed at __________ again, I am still fully loved and embraced by God because __________.”

Embedded Influencer: I understand how God has purposefully gifted and positioned you to multiply His work in the world.   What prevents us from being present?  Digital Distraction.  Mental Preoccupation.  Hurry Sickness.  Judgment and Assumptions.  Fear of Vulnerability.  Messiah Complex.   3 Disciplines for Being more Present  Discipline of Slowing: A pause amidst the busyness. (4:3-8)   Discipline of Noticing: Seeing beyond the surface (4:7-18) Discipline of Listening: Creating space for their story (4:13-26)   Next Steps  Choose one person this week with whom you'll practice being fully present.  Choose to practice at least one discipline: slowing, noticing, and listening  For more series information visit whoisgrace.com/read  

Embedded Influencer: I understand how God has purposefully gifted and positioned me to multiply His work in the world.   Big Idea: The most influential people lead with questions instead of answers.   Why questions are such a powerful tool for influence.  Questions bypass mental resistance and create receptivity.  The Holy Spirit often works in the space created by a good question.  Question-asking engages both the head and heart simultaneously.  Applying Jesus’ Question Ladder: from Surface to Soul Opening Questions: Meet people where they are because that’s where Jesus met us (6:25)  Seeing Questions: Help people see God’s provision because He’s already providing (6:26)  Feeling Questions: Give permission to name emotions because God can handle our honesty (6:27)  Believing Questions: Reveal the father’s heart because we're not orphans (6:30)  Get the Question Ladder tool and other series resources at whoisgrace.com/read   Next Step: Replace some statements with some questions.  

The Art of Noticing.   Big Idea: Encouraging words create spaces where God can work.   The Architecture of Encouragement The Foundation: Encouragement starts with a generous heart (Acts 4:37)  Framework: Encouragement imagines their better future (Acts 9:26-28) Finishing: Encouragement reminds them it will be worth it (Acts 14:23; 1 Thess. 4:18) 3 Keys to Great Encouragement:  Make it Sincere: Be honest about the struggle before you offer the hope.  Make it Specific: Use the "I noticed" formula. Make it Strengths-Focused: Look for their "easy."   Next step Write a note or a text to 3 people this week who could use some encouragement.  For more series resources visit whoisgrace.com/read  

Psalm 139 Ephesians 2:10   3 Declarations of God Over those He has Designed.  God says, “I have called you by name” (Ex 31:1-2)  God says, “I will fill you with My Spirit for your specific assignment” (Ex 31:3-6) God says, “Your assignments will flow from how I’ve gifted and positioned you.” (35:30-36:2) Big Idea: God has perfectly created you and positioned you for the assignments He's given you.  Next Step  Reflect on these two simple questions: 1. What has God given me? 2. Where has God placed me?  Find more series resources at whoisgrace.com/read  Get a weekly video encouragement from Pastor Derek as you live out your calling whoisgrace.com/bless